Eddis
Eddis is a small, mountainous country on the Little Peninsula located between Attolia and Sounis. Geography Eddis is a narrow country located high in the mountains of the Little Peninsula. It is bordered by Sounis to the northwest, Attolia to the south and southeast, and Magyar to the east. It is unclear what borders Eddis to the north. In the southwest, Eddis has a short coastline along the Middle Sea between Sounis and Attolia. The city of Eddis sits in a valley beneath the Sacred Mountain. An ancient road, paved with giant stones set perfectly evenly, travels from the capital city to the main pass through the mountains. According to myth, the road was built by the giant Polyfemus.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 77. Geology The Hephestial Mountains are steeply sloped and composed mostly of shale and slate, with deposits of limestone, granite, and marble.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, pages 64-65. The Sacred Mountain is the tallest peak in the range.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 169. The mountains are volcanic, and the Sacred Mountain itself is an active volcano.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, pages 351-352. Earthquakes sometimes occur in Eddis.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 350. The main pass through the mountains was carved by the Seperchia River in the softer limestone of the coastal range.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 40. The Seperchia runs through a deep gorge, and it must be crossed several times to navigate the pass. The Aracthus River originates in Eddis on the Sacred Mountain. The Eddisians have built a dam near the Aracthus's source, creating the Hamiathes Reservoir and diverting the path of the river so that it joins the Seperchia further downstream. A road follows the former riverbed, and it serves as one of few routes from Attolia into Eddis. In the northeast, along the border with Sounis, the slopes of Mount Irkes provide a relatively gradual rise into the mountains.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 270.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 166. The area was once covered by the Irkes Forest, but Sounis burned it while attempting to invade Eddis. Ecology At lower elevations, occasional shrubby bushes grow on the mountain slopes, including two species identified as "red shank" and "green shank."The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 65. Olive trees grow in the crevices where water flows during the rainy season. At higher elevations, there are forests of juniper and mountain fir.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 75. Climate It is generally cooler in Eddis than it is in Sounis or Attolia. Winter ends later''The Queen of Attolia'', 2017 paperback edition, page 103. and fall begins earlier''The Queen of Attolia'', 2017 paperback edition, page 56. in Eddis than in the lowland countries. Eddis is rainy in the spring.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 173. The combination of rain and melting snow create floodwaters that make Eddis relatively difficult to traverse in the spring. During the summers, however, many streambeds are dry and even the Aracthus River stops flowing when the water level in the Hamiathes Reservoir is low.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 155. History Pre-Invasion Little is known about Eddisian history prior to the Invasion. According to myth, Hamiathes was an ancient king of Eddis who possessed a stone called Hamiathes's Gift, which had supposedly been dipped in the waters of immortality. He eventually passed the stone on to his son, and the people of Eddis came to believe that possession of the stone conferred upon the owner the right to rule the country, as long as the stone had not been stolen. The tradition of King's Thief emerged as a way to bypass this restriction, so that one person could steal the stone and then give it to someone else, making that person the rightful ruler of Eddis.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 70. Although the Gift is real, it is unclear how much of the story of Hamiathes is true. Invasion When the Invaders arrived on the Little Peninsula, they launched an attack on Sounis. Eddis allowed an Attolian army through the mountain pass to aid Sounis, but the Attolians betrayed them and fought on the Invaders' side.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 68. The Invaders eventually conquered both Sounis and Attolia, but were unable to take Eddis. They attempted to gain control of the country by stealing Hamiathes's Gift, but they were unable to obtain it. At around this time, the king of Eddis hid the Gift in an underwater temple in the Aracthus river, and died without revealing its location.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 71. It remained hidden there for five hundred years.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 158. After several hundred years, the Invaders left the Little Peninsula. Sounis intended to invade Attolia as revenge for their earlier betrayal, but Eddis dismantled the main bridge across the Seperchia in the mountain pass, making it impossible for Sounis to bring an army through the mountains. Politics Eddis is ruled by a monarch and a court of eleven ministers, including a prime minister. Partially owing to the legend of Hamiathes's Gift, the rule of Eddis has never changed hands at the instigation of an outside force. The throne room of Eddis is decorated in red and gold,The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 258. which are perhaps the official colors of Eddis. Foreign Relations Since Eddis is dependent on trade, the country generally prefer to remain neutral. The queen of Eddis is currently engaged to Sounis Sophos, and as a condition of that marriage will be required to swear allegiance to the king of Attolia. Military Eddis maintains a small army,The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 209. and Eddisian soldiers have a reputation for being particularly skilled. Most of Eddis's territory is highly defensible, since the country is surrounded by mountains and has few traversable entry points. In addition, Eddis uses iron mined from its territory to forge cannons that effectively prevent armies from moving through its mountain passes. In infantry combat, Eddisian soldiers are fairly lightly outfitted. They wear quilted tunics and are armed with swords and handshields, but do not wear helmets.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, pages 260-261. Eddis also employs crossbowmen and pikemen.A Conspiracy of Kings, 2017 paperback edition, page 205. Economy Eddis has only a small amount of arable land,The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 188. and thus imports the majority of its grains, olives, and wine.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 66. Eddis's main exports are lumber and silver, though the country also exports iron and wool.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 334. The country has few other natural resources.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 67. The Eddisians are said to have superior artisan skills,The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 260. and the finest linens in Sounis are imported from Eddis.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 261. Although Eddis typically produces iron ingots to export to the Peninsula, during wartime the country instead uses the iron to produce cannons.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 116. Eddis controls the only easily traversable mountain pass between Sounis and Attolia, and taxes the caravans that pass through it. Although there are tiny harbors on Eddis's coast, most sit beneath cliffs, any trade goods arriving by that route need to be carried up to the coastal province.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 197. After the end of the Eddis-Attolia war, Eddis gained control of the small coastal village of Ephrata, which allowed for greater access to sea trade.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 333. Culture Society Eddisians are a relatively stoic people, and typically do not cheer for the queen, though they do smile and wave.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 151. Fashion Eddisian men typically wear tunics, often in dark colors and decorated with embroidery,"Destruction", page 324.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 187.The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 43. over wide-bottom pants that are tucked into boots. Eddisian noblewomen often wear dresses with long skirts,"Eddis", page 3. though Eddis Helen frequently wears trousers.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 89. Cuisine Eddisian nobles typically drink watered wine with their meals, at a ratio of two parts water to one part wine,The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 65. served in ceramic cups.The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 64. Other common foods in Eddis are mutton''The Queen of Attolia'', 2017 paperback edition, page 167. and bread that is either spread with cheese or dipped in olive oil. Religion The people of Eddis still worship the Old Gods, and never converted to the Invaders' religion. Although most Eddisians go to the temples and attend religious festivals, true believers are rare.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 84. Worship in Eddis involves the burning of candles,The Queen of Attolia, ''2017 paperback edition, page 347. ritual sacrifice of animals, and offerings of food, coins, or other valuables.''The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 354. The high priest of Eddis was historically responsible for identifying Hamiathes's Gift. Whenever someone claimed to be in possession of the Gift, the high priest would compare the presented stone to the description kept in a scroll that only he could read.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 194. The punishment for being caught attempting to steal the Gift or otherwise interfering with this process was death.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 154.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 195. Arts Traditional Eddisian music is played on drum and mountain pipe.The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 96. Eddisian square dances are a set of traditional dances in which all the steps take place within an imagined square on the floor. They begin slowly, but the tempo increases at the end of each cycle.The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, pages 99-100. According to legend, the Thief of Eddis and their partner may safely perform square dances on the roof of Eddis's megaron; if the king dances, then the entire court may safely dance with him.The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 99. Language Eddis shares a common language with Attolia and Sounis, which they colloquially call "demotic." It is unclear what the formal name of the language is. Accent Although foreigners pronounce the country's name as /ɛdɪs/, Eddisians themselves call their country /idɪs/. According to the magus, this is an old-fashioned pronunciation, and he claims that the people of Eddis have not altered the pronunciation of words for centuries.The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 84.But he's probably mistaken. It would be extremely unusual for a language not to undergo any phonological shifts in hundreds of years. As described by Costis Ormentiedes, the Eddisian accent is "rougher" than the Attolian''The King of Attolia'', 2017 paperback edition, page 215. and "seems to add a syllable to every word."The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 287. Idioms "Be blessed in your endeavors" is an Eddisian expression used generally to mean "please", "thank you", and "you're welcome."A Conspiracy of Kings, 2017 paperback edition, page 287. Eddisians will sometimes describe intelligent people as being "clever enough to steal Hamiathes's Gift."The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 153. Footnotes References Category:Featured article Category:Places